Interferons are used to treat many diseases that involve the immune system for example, cancers, hepatitis, AIDS, multiple sclerosis (MS), genital and perianal warts, and granulomatous disease. Side effects, drug interactions, warnings and precautions and patient safety information should be reviewed prior to taking any medication.
What are the side effects of interferon therapy?
- poor sleep quality
- chronic inflammation in the body
- certain genetic factors
- a lack of social support from others
Why would interferon be used as a cancer treatment?
It is also used to treat conditions other than cancer including hepatitis B and hepatitis C. Interferon alfa stimulates T cells and other immune system cells to attack the cancer. It can also encourage cancer cells to send out chemicals that attract immune system cells to them.
What are the different types of interferon treatment?
- The most common side effect of interferon involves severe, flu-like symptoms such as fever, fatigue, and muscle pains.
- Interferon can also cause abnormal blood counts, with patients showing reduced levels of hemoglobin, white cells, and platelets.
- Interferon has psychological side effects and may prompt depression and suicidal feelings. ...
Is interferon some sort of chemotherapy?
The American Medical Association (AMA) documents Interferon Alfa-2A and Alfa-2B as Chemotherapy. The AMA CPT Administration codes, as well as the CMS/HCPCS codes, for Interferon Alfa-2A and 2B, fall under the category of Injectable chemotherapy.
Is interferon a treatment for Covid?
Interferon therapy shows striking results against COVID-19.
What type of therapy is interferon?
As an adjuvant cancer therapy, interferon targets any lingering melanoma cells and prevents them from spreading and growing. The treatment works by: Stimulating the immune system to develop T cells (a type of white blood cell that fights disease and infection) to attack melanoma cells.
Is interferon a chemotherapy drug?
Interferon-alfa2b is different than a chemotherapy drug; it is actually a natural part of your body's immune system. It is known as a cytokine, which are chemicals normally secreted by cells called leukocytes in response to a virus, bacteria, or other foreign intruders.
How long does interferon treatment last?
Interferon treatment for hepatitis C would typically last 24–48 weeks (6–12 months). Interferons caused many long-term side effects partly because of this long treatment time. Using the drug for this length of time gave side effects a chance to develop and get worse.
Is interferon an antibiotic?
Type I interferons are a cytokine family essential for antiviral defense. More recently, type I interferons have been shown to be important during bacterial infections. Here we show that, in addition to known cytokine functions, interferon-β (IFN-β) is also antimicrobial.
How do interferons fight viral infections?
Interferon is secreted by cells in response to stimulation by a virus or other foreign substance, but it does not directly inhibit the virus's multiplication. Rather, it stimulates the infected cells and those nearby to produce proteins that prevent the virus from replicating within them.
How useful are interferons in oncology?
Interferon alfa stimulates T cells and other immune system cells to attack the cancer. It can also encourage cancer cells to send out chemicals that attract immune system cells to them.
How much does interferon treatment cost?
Results: The total cost of the IFN treatment regimen was estimated to range between US$1,120 and US$1,962. The total cost of the Peg-IFN treatment regimen was between US$2,156 and US$5,887.
Does interferon suppress the immune system?
Interferon proteins are normally considered virus-fighters, but scientists have found evidence that one of them, interferon beta, has an immune-suppressing effect that can help some viruses establish persistent infections.
What are the side effects of interferon therapy?
Results: Adverse effects due to IFN-alpha have been described in almost every organ system. Many side-effects are clearly dose-dependent. Taken together, occurrence of flu-like symptoms, hematological toxicity, elevated transaminases, nausea, fatigue, and psychiatric sequelae are the most frequently encountered.
Does interferon cause liver damage?
Interferon beta is a well known cause of mild hepatic injury that occasionally can lead to severe liver injury with jaundice.
Does interferon cause heart problems?
In clinical observations, various cases of adverse cardiovascular effects, such as arrhythmia, hypotension, cardiogenic shock, dilated cardiomyopathy, and ischemic heart disease have been reported among patients receiving interferon therapy.
Recommendations
The COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines Panel (the Panel) recommends against the use of systemic interferon beta for the treatment of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 (AI).
Rationale
Many of the early studies that evaluated the use of systemic interferons for the treatment of COVID-19 were conducted in early 2020, before the widespread use of remdesivir and corticosteroids.
Clinical Trials
See ClinicalTrials.gov for a list of clinical trials that are evaluating the use of interferons for the treatment of COVID-19.
Adverse Effects
The most frequent adverse effects of systemic interferon include flu-like symptoms, nausea, fatigue, weight loss, hematological toxicities, elevated transaminases, and psychiatric problems (e.g., depression, suicidal ideation). Interferon beta is better tolerated than interferon alfa, but it can cause similar types of adverse effects. 6,7
Drug-Drug Interactions
Additive toxicities may occur when systemic interferons are used concomitantly with other immunomodulators and chemotherapeutic agents. 6,7
Considerations in Pregnancy
According to analyses of data from several large pregnancy registries, exposure to interferon beta-1b prior to conception or during pregnancy does not lead to an increased risk of adverse birth outcomes (e.g., spontaneous abortion, congenital anomaly). 8,9 Exposure to interferon beta-1b did not influence birth weight, height, or head circumference.
Considerations in Children
There are currently not enough data on the use of interferons to treat respiratory viral infections in children to make any recommendations for treating children with COVID-19.
What is the effect of interferon on the immune system?
Interferon medicines treat things like bacteria , viruses and cancer by boosting the immune system. They can cause retinopathy, which is a disease of the retina. Interferon medicines treat things like bacteria, viruses and cancer by boosting the immune system.
Can interferon cause retinopathy?
Interferon medicine can cause retinopathy. Retinopathy is a disease of the retinathat can lead to vision loss. In most cases, retinopathy due to interferon medicine is mild and reversible. However, retinopathy can lead to vision loss.
What are Interferons?
Interferons are proteins produced by tumor cells or host cells that are infected with viruses, bacteria and other unknown nucleic acids. Interferons also activate other cells that serve as part of the immune system and destroy invading pathogens.
Further information
Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances.
What are interferons used for?
Interferons are used to treat many diseases that involve the immune system for example , cancers, hepatitis, AIDS, multiple sclerosis (MS ), genital and perianal warts, and granulomatous disease. Two kinds of interferons are under investigation for treatment of severe cases of COVID-19 coronavirus disease, caused by the deadly SARS-nCoV-2 virus.
What is the purpose of interferons?
For example: interferon alfa-2a (Roferon-A) is FDA-approved to treat hairy cell leukemia, AIDS -related Kaposi's sarcoma, and chronic myelogenous leukemia. interferon alfa-2b is approved for the treatment of hairy cell leukemia, ...
What is the mechanism of action of interferons?
The mechanism of action of interferon is complex and is not well understood. Interferons modulate the response of the immune system to viruses, bacteria, cancer, and other foreign substances that invade the body. Interferons do not directly kill viral or cancerous cells; they boost the immune system response and reduce the growth ...
What are the side effects of interferons?
Other important side effects that may occur with all interferons, and that may be caused by higher doses are: Fatigue. Diarrhea.
What is interferon gamma-1B?
interferon alfa-n3 (Alferon-N) is approved for the treatment of genital and perianal warts caused by human papillomavirus ( HPV ). interferon gamma-1B (Actimmune) is approved for the treatment of chronic granulomatous disease, and severe , malignant osteopetrosis.
Which drugs interact with interferons?
Which drugs or supplements interact with interferons? Interferon alfa-2a, interferon alfa-2b, peginterferon beta-1a, and interferon beta-1b may increase blood levels of zidovudine (AZT, Retrovir ). While this reaction may improve zidovudine's effectiveness, it also may increase the risk of blood and liver toxicity.
When will interferons be available in the US?
included interferons as of April 7, 2020.
What does interferon do to your body?
Interferons can boost your body’s production of certain antibodies. Antibodies are cells that fight harmful substances in your body. Antibodies may mistake some of your healthy cells for invaders and attack them.
Can interferons cause mood disorders?
The risk for each condition is higher if you’ve had that condition before. It’s not known why interferons can cause mood disorders.
Can interferon help with hepatitis C?
To find out more about the long-term side effects of interferon use for treating hepatitis C, talk with your doctor. They can tell you if symptoms you’re experiencing may be linked with previous treatment with interferons. They can also offer ways to help ease your symptoms.
What is the role of interferon in the immune system?
When interferon is released, it sets off a series of reactions in nearby cells to help them defend against the infection. Interferon is, therefore, a critical part of the immune system.
What are the side effects of interferon?
One of the common and potentially most serious side effects of treatment with interferon is depression. A 2009 review. Trusted Source. on the subject found that the risk factors for developing depression during interferon treatment include: poor sleep quality. chronic inflammation in the body.
Is interferon a natural substance?
As well as occurring naturally in the body, interferon is also used as a treatment for various health disorders, including multiple sclerosis (MS), some types of cancer, and hepatitis C.
Does interferon affect heart health?
Trusted Source. looked at the effects of interferon on the heart health of people with chronic hepatitis. It found no significant negative effects. The authors suggested that interferon therapy might be used safely on people who did not have pre-existing heart disease.
Is interferon a part of the immune system?
Interferon is, therefore, a critical part of the immune system. There are three basic forms of interferon. These are alpha and beta, also known as type 1, while gamma is known as type 2. Each form of interferon has different effects on the body. As well as occurring naturally in the body, interferon is also used as a treatment for various health ...
Can interferon cause infertility?
Infertility is an occasional side effect of interferon use and can affect either men or women. Male infertility from interferon might be reversed after some months or years. However, female infertility will usually be a result of the drug triggering early menopause. As such, it will be permanent.
Does interferon cause high blood pressure?
In each case, interferon seemed to cause irreversible high blood pressure in people with hepatitis C. The authors noted that this particular issue was rare and had not previously been reported. But it was, nonetheless, a possible side effect of interferon to keep in mind.
Recommendations
- The COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines Panel (the Panel) recommends against the use of systemic interferon beta for the treatment of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 (AI).
- The Panel recommends against the use of interferon alfa or lambda for the treatment of hospitalized patients with COVID-19, except in a clinical trial (AIIa).
- The Panel recommends against the use of interferons for the treatment of nonhospitalized p…
- The COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines Panel (the Panel) recommends against the use of systemic interferon beta for the treatment of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 (AI).
- The Panel recommends against the use of interferon alfa or lambda for the treatment of hospitalized patients with COVID-19, except in a clinical trial (AIIa).
- The Panel recommends against the use of interferons for the treatment of nonhospitalized patients with mild or moderate COVID-19, except in a clinical trial (AIIa).
Rationale
- Many of the early studies that evaluated the use of systemic interferons for the treatment of COVID-19 were conducted in early 2020, before the widespread use of remdesivir and corticosteroids. In addition, these early studies administered interferons with other drugs that have since been shown to have no clinical benefit in people with COVID-19, such as lopinavir/rito…
Clinical Trials
- See ClinicalTrials.govfor a list of clinical trials that are evaluating the use of interferons for the treatment of COVID-19.
Adverse Effects
- The most frequent adverse effects of systemic interferon include flu-like symptoms, nausea, fatigue, weight loss, hematological toxicities, elevated transaminases, and psychiatric problems (e.g., depression, suicidal ideation). Interferon beta is better tolerated than interferon alfa, but it can cause similar types of adverse effects.6,7
Drug-Drug Interactions
- Additive toxicities may occur when systemic interferons are used concomitantly with other immunomodulators and chemotherapeutic agents.6,7
Considerations in Pregnancy
- According to analyses of data from several large pregnancy registries, exposure to interferon beta-1b prior to conception or during pregnancy does not lead to an increased risk of adverse birth outcomes (e.g., spontaneous abortion, congenital anomaly).8,9 Exposure to interferon beta-1b did not influence birth weight, height, or head circumference.10
Considerations in Children
- There are currently not enough data on the use of interferons to treat respiratory viral infections in children to make any recommendations for treating children with COVID-19.